Fwe (Chifwe)

Fwe is a Bantu language with about 15,000 speakers in northeast Namibia and southwestZambia. In Namibia, it is spoken particularly in the area between Kongola, Singalamwe, Sibbinda and Lizauli in the Zambezi Region, and in Zambia, it is spoken in Imusho, Sinjembela and Mutomena areas in the southwest of Western Province.

Fwe is known as Chifwe by the people who speak it, and they call themselves Mafwe. Fwe is closely related to Kuhane (Chikuhane / Chisubia), which is spoken in Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. It is written with the Latin alphabet.

Fwe alphabet and pronunciation

Fwe alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Fwe (Excel)
Details of Fwe pronunciation (PDF) provided by Wolfram Siegel

Notes

Sample text

mbòndímìkàndékéré èkàndè. òrùtángù rwángù rwáꜝbákwàmé bòbírè. àbó ꜝbákwàmé bòbírè kàbárì bàntù nòmùshêrè. bànàhârì òzyú zyúmùnyà kámùnítè ómbwà. òzyù zyúmùnyà kàrì káꜝsháká ꜝbámbwà.

Translation

I will tell you a story. My story, about two men. These two men were friends. They lived. One of them had a dog. The other did not like dogs.

Source: A Grammar of Fwe by Hilde Gunnink. 2022.

Sample video

Links

Information about Fwe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fwe_language
https://archive.org/details/oapen-20.500.12657-58019
http://www.language-archives.org/language/fwe

Bantu languages

Aka, Aushi, Bafaw-Balong, Bangi, Bangubangu, Basaa, Bemba, Bembe, Bena, Benga, Bhaca, Bila, Bube, Budu, Bujeba, Bukusu, Bulu, Bushong, Central Kilimanjaro, Central Teke, Chichewa, Chokwe, Chopi, Chuwabu, Comorian, Dciriku, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Fuliiru, Fwe, Ganda/Luganda, Giryama, Gogo, Gungu, Gusii, Gwere, Gyele, Haya, Hehe, Herero, Ibinda, Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki, Ikizu, Ikoma, Jita, Kabwa, Kako, Kalanga, Kamba, Kanyok, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kobo, Kogo, Komo, Kongo, Konjo, Koti, Kuhane, Kukuya, Kunda, Kuria, Kwambi, Kwangali, Kwasio, Lambya, Lega, Lengola, Lingala, Loma, Lomwe, Lozi, Luba-Katanga, Luchazi, Lunda, Luvale, Luyana, Makaa, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbama, Mbere, Mbosi, Mbugu, Mbukushu, Mbunda, Mbuun, Mende, Mongo, Mpiemo, Mushungulu, Mwani, Myene, Nambya, Nande, Ngoni, Ngwii, Njebi, Nkore, North Teke, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyoro, Nyungwe, Nzadi, Oroko, OshiWambo, Pagibete, Pare, Punu, Rangi, Ronga, Safwa, Seki, Sena, Sengele, Shambala, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Suba, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Taita, Talinga, Tanga, Tembo, Tetela, Tonga, Tongwe, Tooro, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Turu, Umbundu, Venda, Vili, Vwanji, Wanzi, West Teke, Xhosa, Yakam, Yansi, Yao, Yasa, Yeyi, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 22.07.25. Last modified: 22.07.25

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